Spring suspension means.



D McR. LIVINGSTON.

SPRING SUSPENSION MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE n, 1916.

1 ,340, ill 63., Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

WITNESSES l/V VE/V TOR A 7TORIVEY8 ww/wuw ww D MCRA LIVINGSTON, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

SPRING SUSPENSION MEANS.

atc es.

Application filed June 17, 1916.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, D MoRA LIVINGSTON, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved SpringSuspension Means, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The suspension means generally employed in automobiles, particularly theshackles employed in transverse springsuspension means, permit asidewise swaying of the spring-supported portion of the chassis and itsbody, due to the endwise swaying of the springs on their shackles. Inthe swaying movement of the springs, the shackles have a parallelmovement, that is to say, they swing in the same direction, whereas inresponse to the fiexure of the springs, the shackles move in oppositedirections, that is to say, either toward or from each other.

The prime object of my invention is to provide suspension means whichwill yield and respond to flexure of the spring but which will opposeendwise bodily swaying of the spring and hence prevent swaying of thespring-supported super structure.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings forming a part ofthis specification in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a transverse spring suspensionhaving my invention arranged in connection with the shackles with whichtheends of the spring are connected;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, showing an improvedshackle;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a slightmodification;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 4.-4, Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 is shown a known type of axle 10, together with a known superstructure 11, the illustrated portion serving to receive a radiator (notshown), the super structure being supported on a transverse spring 12and secured by clips 18. The features referred to form no part of theinvention and will vary with the type of car.

The springs arranged as shown in Fig. 1 are suspended usually byshackles 14, one end of each of which is connected with an Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

Serial No. 104,199.

end of the spring 12, as at 15, and the opposite end usually is pivotedas at 16 on a standard 17 secured to the axle.

It is obvious that upon a flexure ofthe spring 12, the shackles 14L willbe swung away from each other upon a depression of the spring, or towardeach other upon the rebound of the spring so that in both cases, theshackles will move in opposite directions to each other. On the otherhand, a bodily endwise swaying of the spring 12 and with it thesupported super structure 11, will tend to swing the shackles let in thesame direction on their pivots.

In accordance with my invention I prevent endwise swaying movement ofthe spring 12 by preventing the shackles 11 from swinging in the samedirection on their pivots 16. For the purpose, each shackle 14: isprovided with a lever arm 18, said arms extending inwardly, that is tosay, toward each other, the said lever arms constituting with theshackle, a bellcrank lever in efl'ect, the arm 18 of which has muchgreater length! than the arm represented by the shackle 14:. Inconnection with the lever arms 18 I provide any suitable means that willso control said arms that they may yield to a movement of the shackles 11 in opposite directions, that is to say, either toward or from eachother, and therefore, permit the spring 12 to flex. A movement, however,of the shackles 14 in the same direction, that is to say, to the rightor to the left of Fig. 1, will result in reverse movements of the leverarms 18, since a movement of the left-hand shackle 1 1 to the left onitspivot 16 will throw the arm 18 of said shackle downwardly, whereas amovement of the right-hand shackle 1 1 to the left on its pivot 16 willthrow the lever arm 18 of said shackle upwardly.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lever arms are made to controleach other in a manner to prevent movement thereof in oppositedirections, use being made for this purpose of a slot and pin connectionbetween the overlapped ends of the arms, there being slots 19 in theoverlapped ends of the arms 18 and bolts 20 extending through saidslots, provided with nuts 21. Thus, while the arms 18 are free to rockin unison upwardly or downwardly, the one cannot move upwardly and theother downwardly, and hence, the shackles 14: may not movesimultaneously either to the left or to the right,

whereby the spring 12 and the spring-supported super structure 11 willbe prevented from bodily swaying. If desired, cushioning springs 22 maybe provided in the slots 19 at each side of the bolt 20.

It will be observed that a single arm 18 extends from each shackle 14:,which thereby represents a fork of the said lever arm.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and I, a pair of separate shackles 14 isemployed at each end, each shackle having its separate arm 18 so thatthere is a pair of lever arms at each end of the spring 12. It is to beunderstood that the elements 10 to 13 are the same as described in Fig.1, and that the spring 12 is connected with the lower ends of theshackle as at 15, and the upper ends of the shackles are pivoted as at16, to upstanding brackets 17, similar to the brackets 17.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and a, the inner ends of the arms 18 arereceived in a boxing 19. Above the boxing 19 are springs 20 which abutat their upper ends against brackets 21 secured to the supported superstructure- 11 at the center of the spring 12. Similarly, springs 20 areprovided at the under sideof the boxing 19 and seat on brackets 21secured to the axle 10. :The construction supports the adjacent ends ofthe lever arms 18 cushioning the same and taking care of any loose playat the pivots 15 or 16, and bearing the weight of the lever arms. Likethe construction first described, the lever arms 18 are free to move inunison in upward or downward direction according to the direction offlexure of the spring 12, but the movement of the shackles 14:simultaneously to the right or left, is prevented.

In both forms, the purpose is served of permitting the lever arms toassume varying relative angular positions and to slide one -upon orrelatively to the other, while at the same time they are tied to limitthem to corresponding vertical movements.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new, and desire tosecure'by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the class described, a vehicle spring, suspensionshackles to which the ends of the spring are connected, levers connectedwith the said shackles and extending laterally inward therefrom, saidlevers Copies of this patent maybe-obtained for five cent being arrangedto rock vertically, and means acting on the levers and preventingmovement thereof in' opposite directions but yielding to movements ofthe levers in the same direction.

2. In a device of the class described, a vehicle spring, pivotedsuspension means for the ends of the spring, lever arms rigid with thesuspension means at each end of the spring, and means acting on theleverarms preventing movement thereof in opposite directions while permittingmovements of i the arms in a corresponding direction.

3Ina device of the class described, a spring, shackles suspending thespring at I the ends, lever arms on the shackles extend ing toward eachother, and means in connection with the inner ends of the arms opposingmovement thereof in opposite direction while yielding to movements ofthe arms in a corresponding direction.

L'In a device of the class described, a spring, shackles suspending theends of the spring, lever arms rigid with the shackles I andconstltuting with said shackles, bellcrank levers, the said armsextending toward each other and having their ends overlapped, and meansengaging the overlapped ends of the arms, said last-mentioned meansopposing movement of the lever arms in opposite directions whileyielding to movements of the lever arms in a similar direc tion.

5. Ina device of the class described, a spring, shackles suspendingtheends of the spring, lever arms rigid with the shackles and constitutingwith said shackles, bellcrank levers, the said armsextending toward eachother and having their ends overlapped, the said overlapped ends beingslotted, and a transverse bolt extending through the slots of therespective arms.

6. In a device of the class described, a spring, shackles suspending theends of the spring, lever arms rigidwith the shackles and constitutingwith said shackles, bellcrank levers, the said arms extending towardeach other and having their ends overlapped, and spring-pressed meansengaging -the overlapped ends of the arms and preventing movements ofthe same in opposite directionswhile yielding to a movement of i thearms in a similar direction.

D MoRA LIVINGSTON.

5 each, by addressing the Gommissionerot Iatnts,

Washington", D. G.

